Welcome to my review of Why She Left By Leah Mercer. I enjoyed this; it was a quick read, with outstanding writing, lots of twists and turns and a suspenseful family drama. It makes one question whom you can really trust. Who has their own agenda, and who is safe?
Over twenty years ago, heiress Patricia Lockwood was abducted during a robbery of her family’s estate, then locked inside an isolated cabin for months. Patricia escaped, but so did her captors, and the items stolen from her family were never recovered.
Until now.
On New York’s Upper West Side, a recluse is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, alongside two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHL3. For the first time in years, the authorities have a lead not only on Patricia’s kidnapping but also on another FBI cold case – with the suitcase and painting both pointing them towards one man.
Windsor Horne Lockwood III – or Win as his few friends call him – doesn’t know how his suitcase and his family’s stolen painting ended up in this dead man’s apartment. But he’s interested – especially when the FBI tell him that the man who kidnapped his cousin was also behind an act of domestic terrorism, and that he may still be at large.
The two cases have baffled the FBI for decades. But Win has three things the FBI does not:: a personal connection to the case, a large fortune, and his own unique brand of justice …
With over 70 million books in print worldwide, Harlan Coben is the #1 New York Times author of thirty one novels including RUN AWAY, FOOL ME ONCE, TELL NO ONE, NO SECOND CHANCE and the renowned Myron Bolitar series. His books are published in 43 languages around the globe.
Harlan is the creator and executive producer for the Netflix television dramas SAFE starring Michael C. Hall, Audrey Fleurot and Amanda Abbington, and THE FIVE starring Tom Cullen and OT Fagbenle. He is currently filming THE STRANGER, based on his novel, for Netflix starring Richard Armitage, Siobhan Finneran, Jennifer Saunders and Stephen Rea. Harlan was also showrunner and executive producer for two French TV mini-series, UNE CHANCE DE TROP (NO SECOND CHANCE) with Alexandra Lamy and JUST UN REGARD (JUST ONE LOOK) with Virginie Ledoyen. KEINE ZWEIT CHANCE, also based on Harlan’s novel, aired in Germany on Sat1.
Harlan’s novel TELL NO ONE (NE LE DIS A PERSONNE) was turned into the renowned French film, directed by Guillaume Canet and starring Francois Cluzet. The movie was the top box office foreign-language film of the year in USA, won the Lumiere (French Golden Globe) for best picture and was nominated for nine Cesars (French Oscar) and won four, including best actor, best director and best music. The movie with subtitles is now available on Netflix, Amazon Prime and DVD/Blu-Ray.
Winner of the Edgar Award, Shamus Award and Anthony Award – the first author to win all three – international bestselling author Harlan Coben’s critically-acclaimed novels have been called “ingenious” (New York Times), “poignant and insightful” (Los Angeles Times), “consistently entertaining” (Houston Chronicle), “superb” (Chicago Tribune) and “must reading” (Philadelphia Inquirer).
In his first books, Coben immersed himself in the exploits of sports agent Myron Bolitar. Critics loved the series, saying, “You race to turn pages…both suspenseful and often surprisingly funny” (People). After seven books Coben wanted to try something different. “I came up with a great idea that simply would not work for Myron,” says Coben. The result was the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller TELL NO ONE, which became the most decorated thriller of the year. Two books later, Bookspan, recognizing Coben’s broad international appeal, named NO SECOND CHANCE its first ever International Book of the Month in 2003 – the Main Selection in 15 different countries.
Harlan was the first writer in more than a decade to be invited to write fiction for the NEW YORK TIMES op-ed page. His Father’s Day short story, THE KEY TO MY FATHER, appeared June 15, 2003. His essays and columns have appeared in many top publications including the New York Times, Parade Magazine and Bloomberg Views.
Harlan has received an eclectic variety of honors from all over the world. In Paris, he was awarded the prestigious Vermeil Medal of Honor for contributions to culture and society by the Mayor of Paris. He was won the El Premio del Novela Negra RBA in Spain, the Grand Prix de Lectrices in France, and the CWA/ITV3 Bestseller Dagger for favorite crime novelist in England. On the other end of the spectrum, Little League Baseball inducted Harlan into their Hall of Excellence in 2013, and Harlan is also a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame from his playing days at Amherst College.
Harlan was born in Newark, New Jersey. He still lives in New Jersey with his wife, Anne Armstrong-Coben MD, a pediatrician, and their four children.
Harlan Coben does it again. Is there any better author? I think he’s my absolute favourite. Luckily for me, Win is my most favourite character, so how could I refuse to read his very own first book? As always, it doesn’t disappoint.
Win is such a strong character that we have seen throughout the Myron Bolitar series. Now he has his own story, which is predictably brilliant! Win is so well developed as a character that he could be my real-life friend. In fact, I think I might be a little in love with him and no less so in this book. He isn’t your usual loveable character, but he loves his friends hard and has a good heart.
In this, we meet more of Win’s family and learn more about his past. In addition, we see him delve into another undercover investigation, which he obviously solves. Although not your usual type of mystery, this is a really well thought out and developed plot. He also manages to solve the mysterious abduction of his cousin, Patricia, over twenty years ago. We learn more about his family, his relationships with them, and his unusual; methods of solving investigations and finding information.
As well as Win being totally brilliant, there are several other great characters. Each one is well thought out and described, which Coben is excellent at. They each have a part of the story but never overtake Win as the main character, and none are part as filler.
With his insatiable appetite for women, his own brand of justice, dark sense of humour, and outright selfishness, Win is the perfect book character. Although he keeps to himself, he doesn’t like to share with others. As a result, he is exciting and intriguing to read.
Fantastic characters, a Brilliant plot, a quick and involved read that will have you turning the pages well past bedtime. I would recommend it to everyone because we all need a Win in our lives. I can’t wait for the next one!
| Title | Win |
| Author | Harlan Coben |
| Series | Windsor Horne Lockwood III #1 |
| Format | Kindle |
| Page Count | 378 Pages |
| Genre | Mystery and Thrillers |
| Publisher | Cornerstone Digital |
| Release Date | 18th March 2021 |
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